Accidents that involve a tractor-trailer, construction vehicle, or any other large commercial vehicle can have devastating consequences. People who are unfortunate enough to be involved in these collisions that hit the side of their vehicles can suffer particularly severe injuries.
A Midwest City side-impact truck accident lawyer could help you protect your legal rights following such a collision. Once hired, a qualified truck accident attorney could help investigate a defendant’s fault and measure your losses in order to demand appropriate compensation.
Common Causes of Side-Impact Truck Accidents
A side-impact truck accident describes any collision between commuter and commercial vehicles where the point of impact is the side panel of the commuter car. This could include perpendicular impacts against the side of the car or side-swipe collisions that involve a glancing blow.
Side-impact accidents most commonly occur in intersections. A truck driver who fails to yield the right of way at a stop sign may enter an intersection illegally and collide with other vehicles. A failure to adhere to red lights could also result in highly dangerous T-bone collisions.
Side-impact collisions can also happen on highways. If a trucker does not check their blind spots before changing lanes, they may merge into another driver. These types of impacts can also be the result of sudden heavy winds or slick roads that cause a driver to lose control.
Because truckers always must retain control of their vehicles, a collision may be a trucker’s fault if they are found to have been legally negligent in causing it. A Midwest City side-impact truck crash attorney could help investigate the cause of a particular accident and determine an injured party’s legal options.
Possible Damages in Midwest City
Any collision with a tractor-trailer can cause life-altering injuries. However, a person does not necessarily need to spend time in the hospital or require surgery to demand payments for their losses. A negligent trucker could be held liable for damages stemming from an accident that necessitates medical attention, no matter how serious or minor.
Typical examples of the injuries that come about as the result of a side-impact truck accident include:
- Broken arms and legs
- Neck injuries due to whiplash
- Concussions from heads hitting windows
- Separated hips or shoulders
- Traumatic central nervous system injuries
While a physical injury is certainly the focus of a truck accident claim, it is far from the only available source of compensation. If a plaintiff loses out on income due to a temporary inability to work or a permanent injury, they could demand payments for that lost income. Truck accidents are also traumatic incidents that could inflict emotional trauma and intense pain, which could also be sources of monetary recovery.
The goal of any civil claim is to provide compensation to make a plaintiff whole again, but there is a time limit to pursue such a case. According to Oklahoma Statutes §95-4, people have only two years following a truck accident to demand payment. A side-impact truck accident lawyer in Midwest City could work to build a powerful claim for appropriate payments within this time limit.
Call a Midwest City Side Impact Truck Accident Attorney Today
Side-impact truck accidents are a significant source of injuries that occur on Midwest City’s roads. A trucker who fails to check blind spots before changing lanes, ignores stop signs, or refuses to yield in an intersection may be legally at fault for these collisions. The resulting claims could demand payments for medical bills, lost wages, and emotional trauma.
An attorney could help protect your legal rights and work to gather evidence of liability to prove that a truck driver was responsible for the crash. Contact a Midwest City side-impact truck accident lawyer today to learn more.